Vegetarian Curry

To cook vegetables perfectly, Asha Gomez simmers each kind in a different pot, then arranges them on the plate. To make this lovely vegetarian stew, home cooks can simmer vegetables in a single pot for about 30 minutes.

Emilee and Jere Gettle make this hearty vegetarian dish when bell peppers are at their peak in late summer.

Many of Madhur Jaffrey's books have an Indian slant, but she's most famous for her 1999 tome Madhur Jaffrey's World Vegetarian. While she often follows the Indian tradition of serving several small dishes together, the lentil-vegetable curry here is a Western-style main course. Eaten over rice with yogurt, it's a very satisfying meal.

The South Asian spices in this vegetarian stew reflect the influence of Kenya's generations-old Indian community on the national cuisine. Feel free to substitute other vegetables based on seasonal availability, as Hubert Des Marais does.

Americans are not overly fond of okra; outside of the South it's rarely eaten and rarely missed. In India, though, okra is much beloved and is prepared in many ways: fried, stuffed, and as here, braised briefly with tomatoes and onions. We promise that our method will not give you a slimy vegetable, just barely tender okra with great flavor. Serve the curry over rice with a little plain yogurt.

Vikram Sunderam blanches the carrots, squash and green beans individually before cooking them in the curry sauce. For the home chef, cook the vegetables directly in the sweet and spicy curry sauce.

Store-bought red curry paste and coconut milk put a Thai spin on this green-bean-and-mushroom holiday classic. For a vegetarian main dish, simply stir in cubes of tofu.

Canned chickpeas are often used in salads or hummus, but Grace Parisi roasts them here with eggplant, prewashed spinach and onion to make a great vegetarian main course.

Joanne Chang switches up the flavors of Thanksgiving's classic squash soup with a host of Asian ingredients, including curry paste, ginger and coconut milk.

Mark Peel flavors roasted cauliflower and green beans with a mild curry powder.

Okra gets charred and tender on the grill; tossing it with lime and store-bought curry paste gives it great flavor.

Our version of this curry, a favorite combination of vegetables in India, unites cumin, coriander, turmeric, and red-pepper flakes. Fresh cilantro provides an herbal note. Serve the curry as a generous side dish or with rice for a meatless main dish.